My One Love
by Mor'DuTheBronyBear
Summary: Ed is trapped in Germany with Alfons Heiderich, and while searching for a way to get Edward home, they discover something about Noah and the other gypsies that will change everyone's lives forever. Pairings: Slight Elricest, HeiEd, AlxOC. This story is based off of CoS, but it will not follow the plot directly. I love reviews *winks*
1. Introduction

My One Love

_"Brother... I have to tell you something..."_

Alphonse Elric had never been very good with words, especially when it came to matters of the heart. But he knew his big brother would be patient with him.

"What's wrong, Al?" Edward asked when he heard apprehension in his little brother's voice. He wished with all his heart that he could see that sweet face again. He reached out from where he sat on the couch beside Alphonse and touched the metal surface of his face softly. Al closed his eyes at the touch, even though he couldn't feel it.

"Whatever it is, you know you can tell me. I'm here for you."

The armor body started shaking with nervousness. How could he tell his big brother this? How would he react?

"Brother, I love you."

Edward smiled and chuckled a little. "I love you too, ya big sap. Now, what is it?" Alphonse gulped, and Edward grabbed his hand and held it. He sat there silent for a minute, thinking about what Al had just said. When he realized what Al meant and why he had been so nervous about saying it, he gasped and squeezed Al's hand tighter.

"Don't be mad, brother. Please."

Ed said nothing. He slowly let go of Al's large hand and stood up. Alphonse's breath caught in his throat.

"Brother, don't go! I'm sorry! Just don't leave me!"

Edward was still silent as he sat back down and closed the space in between them. He grasped Al's head in his hands and looked him in the eyes. Then, slowly, gently, he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Al's forehead, lingering for just a few seconds, to make sure Al knew what he was trying to say. Just to clarify, Ed said, "I love you too, Alphonse. I just had no idea that you felt the same. I thought that if I ever admitted my feelings to you, you'd be disgusted. I was too scared..." He leaned his forehead on Al's and kissed him again. "...but I'm so glad you were brave."

At this second kiss, Alphonse wrapped his arms around Edward gently and pulled him into the softest hug that was possible with his armor body.

That night, the brothers lay on the couch together, Edward kissing every inch of the cold armor he could, trying to make his baby brother warm. Even though Al couldn't feel it, he was happier than he had been in years.

Edward opened his eyes slowly, cursing the sun for waking him up this early on a Saturday. He groaned and sat up slowly, the scent of bacon and coffee in the air. Alfons must've made breakfast. His stomach was growling, so he decided to get up. He stretched and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where he found Alfons at the stove frying the bacon. "Good morning , Edward!" he said cheerfully with out even turning around. Somehow, Alfons just knew that Edward was there. It happened every day, and it still amazed Ed.

He grumbled something inaudible in response. His still-fuzzy mind went back to the dream he had earlier. It was a flashback, really, of the night when he and Alphonse admitted that they loved each other, the night he kissed him all over, as if Alphonse had a human body. The way they panted after each short, yet passionate, kissing session, leaving them wanting something more that was impossible for them to have...

Ed snapped himself out of it before his desires could be visible at the breakfast table.

Alfons soon sat down with the plate of bacon and a pot of coffee and poured some in Ed's cup. He muttered his thanks and grabbed a few pieces of bacon and put them on his plate. He crunched one while he picked up the newspaper and flipped to the weather section. Before he could check out the weather forecast for that day, Alfons said, "You know, Edward, you've seemed kinda down lately. It's supposed to be a nice day. How about we go to the fair? I'm supposed to show my rockets there anyway. Want to tag along?"

Edward considered that for a moment before replying with a small smile, "Sure. And while I'm driving, I'll tell you some stories about my world."

Alfons grinned a large grin. He loved hearing Edward's stories. Hell, he loved hearing Edward talk in general. Something about him made Alfons feel... different. In a good way, though.

"Well, we better get going! The fair's about a 2 hour drive."

"Okay," Edward said. "Just let me get a quick shower."

With that, he left the table and headed upstairs to the bathroom. Alfons didn't know what it was, but that guy sure made him feel strange, almost tingly, inside...

**A/N: Well, that's chapter one! I hoped you enjoyed! And I'm not going to follow the plot of CoS. I just used the fair as an excuse for them to have a conversation.**

Until next time,  
~ MorDuTheBronyBear 


	2. Riding to the Fair

Edward was a surprisingly good driver for someone who never drove in that "other world" of his. Although, many times, Alfons had to keep reminding Edward to keep his eyes on the road.

Right at that moment, Alfons was laughing at one of Edward's stories.

"Ha ha ha! You mean you and your little brother really took down a huge gang on a train? That's amazing!"

Edward grinned and said, "Yeah, we sure whooped their asses!" But then, his smile slowly faded, and his carefree tone disappeared. Al noticed this from the back seat and was a little concerned.

"Ed, are you ok?"  
"...yeah, I'm fine."  
"You just got kinda quiet-"  
"I said I'm fine, Goddammit!"

Al gasped; he'd never heard Ed talk like that before. Suddenly, Ed spoke again.

"Alfons, I'm sorry. It's just that that story reminded me of my brother and how much I miss him."

Al suddenly felt bad about asking for Ed's stories. _I should've known he might get upset about his brother. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I never wanted to see him hurt..._ He was jerked out of his thoughts by Ed's soft voice from the driver's seat.

"Alfons, can I tell you something personal, and can you keep it a secret?"

Alfons was a little shocked at Ed's sudden request, but he was never one to expose a secret.

"Of course, Edward. What is it?"

Edward took a deep breath before answering,

"My brother and I are in a romantic relationship. I know many people think it's wrong, but we love each other, and we think that's all that matters. I hope you're not offended by that."

_So _that's_ why he seemed so depressed about his brother.  
_  
"Edward... I had no idea..."  
"Yeah."  
"If it matters, I'm fine with that."  
"Y-you are...?"  
"Of course. If you love each other, like you said, that's all that matters."

Ed suddenly stopped the car and pulled over to the edge of the road. He was silent long enough that Al was scared to say anything. Then, his head slumped to the steering wheel, pounding his fist onto the dashboard with his artificial hand and yelling "Dammit!".Then he let out a broken sob, tears flowing fast. Al's heart broke at the sight, but he didn't know how to comfort him. He could only watch as Edward sobbed for his brother, his friend, his lover. Al couldn't imagine the pain he must've been in at that moment. To be separated from not only your brother, your traveling companion, but also your love, who's made of armor so personal contact was limited anyway, it must've been hell.

Finally, he couldn't watch any longer. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car and slid into the passenger seat beside Edward. Gently, hesitantly at first, he wrapped his arms around the sobbing blond. Edward immediately leaned into the other man's touch, moving his face from the steering wheel to Alfons's shoulder, burying his face in it and mumbling soft words. Al could only make out a few of them, such as "Alphonse" and "I love you" and "Miss you". Alfons rested his head gently on top of Edward's. "It's alright, Edward. It's ok. Hey." He grabbed Edward's face in his hands gently and made him look him in the eyes. Tears were still flowing, and Al wiped one off of his cheek with his thumb softly.

"Now listen to me, Edward. You're going to see your brother again. He's going to be human, and you're going to hug him, and kiss him all over, and he's going to kiss you all over, and you'll sleep together and enjoy each other's warmth like you both want to. But none of that is going to happen if you don't keep your head up. I believe in you, Edward. You will find a way to open this 'gate' you speak of, and I promise you I will do everything in my power to help you get there."

Edward sniffed and wiped his tears. "Alfons, I can't thank you enough. You've given me a home, food, and now you've tolerated my childish behavior-"

Al put a finger to his lips to silence him.

"Shhhh. Grieving for someone you love is not childish behavior. And giving you food and shelter has been a pleasure." He started to pull away, but Ed made a sound of protest.

"Please, just hold me a little longer." 

**A/N: I don't about you guys, but I liked this chapter a lot. As you probably guessed, this is where HeiEd kinda starts in this story. And yes, Ed is probably OOC, but I mean, c'mon, how long cold he be strong?**

**Anyway, until next time,**

**~MorDuTheBronyBear**


	3. Rockets, Gypsies, and Blushing Blonds

The two blonds arrived at the fair, Edward still blushing slightly. He still felt a little childish for asking Alfons to hold him, but he couldn't help it. It had been so long since anyone gave him a hug, or showed him any form of affection. He wished he could stay in the other man's arms all day, but that would have to wait. Right now, Alfons had rockets to show and people to amaze.

They arrived at the bustling fairgrounds and found a parking spot (which wasn't exactly easy). Alfons went to the trunk and pulled out a big box of rockets. He almost dropped them, and Edward rushed to the other side of the box and supported it, walking with Al to the fair gate. There were two ticket takers at the gate, and when they saw Ed and Al, they said, "Come on in, guys. What're your names?" Ed cleared his throat and said, "Oh, I'm not the one with the booth. He is." Alfons then chimed in, "I'm Alfons Heiderich. My booth is the rocket exhibition." One of the ticket takers said, "Ah, right this way."

Ed and Al followed him to a a large, grassy field with several people already at their booths, preparing for the crowds that were to come soon. Ed and Al walked over to the booth and the two blonds placed the large box on the table.

"Alright, Edward. Thanks for your help. You can go enjoy the fair now."  
"Actually, I kinda wanted to see what these rockets can do, if that's alright with you, Alfons."  
"Of course it's alright. But it'll be a few minutes before they're ready to launch. I have to set up the launch pads and everything."

With a nod and a small smile, Edward stepped away from the booth to give Alfons some room to set everything up. But not before he had to help Al carry the box again. After that, he took a seat on the table of the booth, content with just watching Al work. He observed him take each rocket part and connect it with its matching part, then place it in cylindrical containers with their fuses sticking out. Alfons was so talented at what he did, Edward thought, as sat there watching, watching as his blond bangs fell in front of his bright blue eyes, sweat beads gently rolling down the side of his face, his bare biceps glistening in the summer sun...

_Woah, woah, woah! Where the hell did that come from?! _

Edward let out a distressed sigh and shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking of his roommate like that! It wasn't like him to have thoughts like that, especially since he was currently in a relationship. But he decided to not think about it anymore. He decided to look at the rest of the fair to try to forget what just happened.

"Hey, Alfons! I'm gonna go look around the rest of the fair! Call me when your rockets are ready!"

Alfons stood up from his work on the rockets and wiped his damp bangs out of his eyes

"Ok, Ed. Have fun!"

With a wave, he kneeled on the ground and continued to tinker with his creations which were, in Edward's opinion, amazing. Back in Amestris, nothing had ever gone into space. Sure, they had flying machines, but space...That was a different story. Edward had always secretly dreamed of going into space, into that huge, dark blue expanse, filled with undiscovered mysteries. Sometimes at night, back when they were kids, while Alphonse slept, he would sneak out and lay on the ground under the shining stars and just lay there, imagining what it was like up there. Of course, most of his free time consisted of human transmutation research. But when he wasn't researching, that was his favorite thing to do.

Back at the rocket booth, Alfons was in deep thought. His rockets tended to help him think better, and today was no exception. He could've sworn he had seen Edward staring at him as he worked. _No, it couldn't have been. He has someone waiting for him back in his world! He was probably just interested in my rockets. _But then the little voice in the back of his head chimed in, _But was he really that interested in the rockets? Come on, Alfons, there was obviously something more that he was interested in, if you get my drift._

A deep blush made its way across Al's cheeks at his conscience's naughty little comment. He really hated his subconscious sometimes. As much as he wished it was true, he knew Edward couldn't be interested him.

Edward wandered around the already packed fairgrounds, gazing at the booths around him; some were strange, but most of them only sparked his curiosity. Like the one he was currently standing in front of. It was a gypsy booth, and music could be heard coming from inside the navy blue tent. A sign hanging on the outside of the tent advertised fortune telling. Edward scowled at that; he always thought that that kind of stuff was complete bullshit.

But, at that moment, something seemed to lure him in, as if some invisible hand was pulling him along by the arm like Alphonse used to do when they were little at amusement parks. _Oh, what the hell. Why not? _he thought, and he went in. He didn't have to pay anything because, luckily, the ticket takers at the front gate must not have heard him when he explained he didn't have a booth. They gave him a participant's badge instead of charging him! Ed actually felt a little bad for not clearing things up, but the only reason he didn't correct the men was that he didn't expect to actually visit any other booths. Oh well. Granny Pinako had an old saying, something about not looking a horse in the mouth if it gives you a gift or something. Edward had thought she was full of crap when she said it, but now he understood.

He stepped inside the tent slowly, muscles tensed on instinct. That always happened when he went into a new place. He guessed it was because he almost always ran into danger on his travels in Amestris.

But he immediately relaxed when he heard the cheerful voices and light, happy music.

"Hello, and welcome to the Temple of the Gypsies, sir! Tell me, how would you like your fortune told, hmm?"

A woman in traditional gypsy attire had approached him. She had long dark brown hair, and he swore he'd seen her before somewhere. Everything about her was familiar, except for the accent.

"Noah! Don't scare off our guest! You've always been too eager!"

Then it hit him: Rose! _Wow, I guess everyone has a counterpart in this world..._ Edward thought.

The woman that had spoken to Ro- er, Noah, was a considerably older woman with gray hair and wore a lot of jewelry.

"I apologize for my granddaughter's boldness. She's not really supposed to do any talking unless a guest wants their fortune told. But, speaking of that, would you like your fortune told?"  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
"Excellent! Noah! Direct him to the Prediction Room!"

Noah motioned for him to go the very back of the tent. (More or less an actual room.) "Right this way, sir."

Edward gave her a soft smile.

"Please, call me Edward."

**A/N: Hmmmm... What will Edward's future hold?**

Until next time,  
~MorDuTheBronyBear 


	4. The Journey Begins!

"Edward... Where are you, Brother?"

The blond's younger brunette brother lay in his bed in Amestris, a tear rolling down his cheek as he thought of his lost love. He spoke as if Edward could really hear him, as if Edward was right there with him.

"It's been two years, Brother, and I'm so lonely without you... I'm human again. We could be together, and I could feel your kisses, and your hugs, and all the warmth that I've missed over the years I was in armor. I just want you back..."

Alphonse couldn't continue as a short, broken sob escaped his lips. But the crying didn't last long. He sat up in his bed and wiped a few tears away.

"Look at me. I'm pitiful. What would Brother think if he saw me like this?"

He slammed his fists into the mattress below him.

"Dammit! He wouldn't like it at all. I need to get up and do something, anything to get that gate open and get Brother home." He sighed and brushed his bangs out of his face. "But where do I even start?"

Later that day, Alphonse was walking through Central, where he was currently staying and working a desk job for the military. He didn't want to become a state alchemist because it reminded him of his brother, and he thought it would be too time consuming, should he wish to venture out on his own and do research.

As he walked, he thought of any possible way he could to open the gate. _But I have to actually find the entrance to it first. _He sighed and said aloud, "I guess it's time to turn in my resignation to Major Mustang."

He went to the park and sat at one of the tables and pulled out a slip of paper and a pen. He thought of what to write for a few minutes, then he went to work. When he finished, he smiled to himself and walked to Central command. He entered the large building and was greeted by many people, including Riza Hawkeye.

"Good morning, Alphonse. What brings you here on your day off?"

He pulled out the slip of paper and gave her a sad smile, and a look of understanding showed on her face.

"I'll make sure the major gets this," she said, taking the slip from his hand and putting it in one of her uniform's many pockets. Alphonse said his thanks, and turned to leave, but before he could, he was wrapped in a hug by Hawkeye.

"I wish you the best of luck on your journey. When you return, I hope to see your brother with you."

She released the hug, and Alphonse gave her a determined look.

"Don't worry about that, Miss Hawkeye. My Edward will be home with me, and all of us, soon."

Riza smiled at the boy's fiery personality and at the obvious love he had for his brother. Alphonse had only trusted a few people with the matter of he and his brother being in a relationship. Most people would be disgusted, he knew, but Riza wasn't like that. She understood the love between the brothers was not one tainted by lust or anything unholy. It was just as if a man and a woman (who were unrelated) loved each other. Their love was pure, and she knew it.

With a final wave goodbye, Alphonse turned and walked out of Central Command. It would be his last time seeing the kind hawk's golden hair or the flame's raven locks, but he didn't know it yet.

"Hmmm... I need a traveling companion. It would be unsafe to go alone," he thought aloud again as he walked.

"Hey, Alphonse! What's up?"

A smile formed on his face as he heard his friend's voice near him. It was Daniel, a young man he had met in the park one day. He was tall and lanky, but still quite strong. Long black bangs fell over one of his crystal blue eyes, and a long scar shone on his cheek. He was the son of Dr. Marcoh. When the doctor had refused to tell the homunculi about the philosopher's stone, Lust had slashed one of her cruel claws across his face, leaving a permanent reminder of the terrifying rule of the homunculi.

"Hi Daniel! What brings you to this part of town?"

He approached Alphonse and gave him a kind smile. "I was just taking a walk when I heard you talking. You always have been a loud thinker."

The two boys laughed at that for a while before an idea crossed Al's mind.

"Daniel, how would you like to go on a journey with me?"

Daniel's eyes widened at the mention of traveling. He loved it with all his heart.

"Of course I'll come! You know I love seeing new places!"  
"Are you sure? It's going to be dangerous, and we might both die."

Daniel narrowed his eyes and gave the same determined smile Al had given Hawkeye earlier.

"That makes it even more exciting."

Daniel gave Al a fist bump and his grin got wider. "Besides, we're both alchemists, right? We can take care of ourselves!"

Al's grin spread too. "Right!"  
"So Al, when do we leave?"  
"As soon as possible! My brother's been away two years too long!"

Daniel nodded in agreement. He had heard many stories about Edward Elric, not just from Alphonse. He was the famous state alchemist that attempted human transmutation. And in an attempt to get his brother's body back, he sacrificed himself to open the Gate of Truth. He would've remained dead if Alphonse hadn't transmuted his own soul in order to revive Edward. But when Edward awoke and saw that his brother wasn't back, he sacrificed himself again, this time being sent to another world. But at least Alphonse had his original body back like the two of then had always planned.

But the one thing that Daniel didn't know was that Alphonse loved his brother as something more.

With that last thought, Daniel followed Alphonse to the gate of Central. With one last look behind them, the boys stepped outside the city's walls and into the unknown, with nothing but their hearts to guide them. 

**A/N: Ah, the search begins! And someone correct me if I'm wrong about the whole story of Edward dying and such. I didn't pay very close attention to that episode for some reason XD**

Until next time,  
~MorDuTheBronyBear  



	5. How is this possible?

Noah led Edward to the very back of the tent, where there were two large, very comfy looking armchairs and a small table in between them. On the table sat a crystal ball about the size of a melon.

_Oh, great. Just like those fake-ass movies... _

Why had he come here again? Oh, yeah. It had seemed as though some invisible force had led him into the tent. He made a mental note to kick the force's ass later, if that was possible, for dragging him here.

He took a seat in one of the chairs, and Noah followed. While she reached behind her and pulled out a couple of glasses and a pot of tea, Edward took time to observe more of his surroundings. This section of the tent was very dim compared to the portion he had seen earlier.

"Alright, Edward. Would you care for some tea?"

Edward nodded, and she poured a good amount into his glass, and then into hers.

"Now, to start the fortune telling session, I need you to hold hands with me."

Edward did a double-take at her choice of words. She saw his look of surprise, and she giggled a little.

"Not like that, silly. Just so that our spirits can connect. Once we are connected, the Truth can be revealed!"

Once again, Edward was shocked at her words. He could've sworn she just said "Reveal the Truth". But maybe she hadn't meant it like that...

He was jolted out of his thoughts by her hands wrapping around his gently so that their wrists rested on the table, the crystal ball between them.

"Reveal to us, Truth, Edward's future."

He could've had a heart attack after that statement. Was this crazy woman about to open the portal of Truth?!

His fears were proven true as the all-too familiar black hands emerged from the crystal ball and connected with their faces, the mysterious eye appearing in the crystal ball. His palms started getting sweaty, and he gulped. _What the hell is going on here?! Alchemy doesn't exist in this world, so the laws of equivalent exchange are non-existant. How is this possible?_

Soon, the tent around him faded, and he was in the large, white space. Then, he spotted the little bastard.

"Truth! Tell me what the hell is happening! How is this possible without a sacrifice?!"

Truth just grinned at him and said, "You're the youngest state alchemist in history! You should be able to figure it out! Now, onto that fortune telling that your gypsy friend promised!"

Edward's vision turned black in front of him; it felt like he was falling through air, like the time he opened the gate when he and Al tried to revive their mother. A pain even worse than the automail surgery he endured spread throughout his limbs, seeming to tear him apart, making him scream.

Then, the dark and pain faded, and Noah stood in front of him, about twenty feet away. He ran to her, panting from stress.

"Noah, please tell me how this is all happening. How did you open the portal of Truth?!"

Before she could answer, a black figure appeared, just a silhouette of a man. Then, Edward watched as a mirror image of himself appeared and started steamily making out with the silhouette. Real Edward blushed on instinct, thoroughly confused about the situation, but at the same time, somewhat understanding what this meant.

After this display, everything disappeared, and he could've sworn, right before he reappeared in the tent with Noah, he heard his little brother's voice, somewhere in the distance, calling his name, telling him he still loved him...

~~~~~~~~

Alphonse and Daniel stopped on the side of the small dirt road leading to the Pinako residence. They had been on the road for a few hours. They bought tickets for the 2:00 PM train, and by the time they got to the station near Resembool, it was almost 6:00, and they were tired.

They had decided to pay Granny and Winry a visit before they set off on their journey. Daniel was a bit reluctant to meet these people, but since Al was his friend, he agreed. It wasn't like he had much choice in the matter anyway; they were traveling together, so they needed to stick together.

Once they rested for a few minutes, they continued on to the small house with a sign out front that read "Rockbell Automail Service". They could hear Den barking from inside as they approached the front door. Alphonse reached out and knocked.

"Granny! Winry! I'm home!"

The door opened, and there stood Winry, a large grin on her face.

"Welcome home, Al! Good to see yo-"

She cut off when she spotted Daniel.

"Uh... Who is that?"  
"Winry, this is Daniel. He's a friend I met in Central. He's also my traveling companion."  
"Traveling companion? Where are you going?"

Alphonse just smiled. "I think we should come inside and explain."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, you and Daniel are going to go find Edward and bring him home, eh?"

Granny Pinako was in the kitchen making dinner while the three sat at the kitchen table. Alphonse smiled and said, "We're going to try our best to."

Pinako then walked over to the table with a big plate of chicken and a pot of mashed potatoes.

"Your parents would be proud, Alphonse. You're so determined to bring your brother back. It takes courage to travel around like you're going to do, but then again, you and your brother have already shown plenty of courage. You've shown it since the day you lost your original bodies, what with Edward going through automail surgery and you suffering through all those sleepless nights."

Alphonse shuddered at the memory.

After their meal, they went to bed, Al in his old room and Daniel in Edward's room.

As Al lay in bed, a shooting pain went through his brain, making him wince.

_What the hell...?_

Then, his vision turned black, and he felt as though he was falling through the air. Then, as quick as it had left, his vision returned, and he was in the white expanse of nothingness. He started shaking as a sharp pain, even worse than the last one, shot through his entire body. He cried out, clenching his fists and falling to the ground, shaking with pain, a few tears falling as he gasped for breath.

Then, it was gone, and to Al's great surprise and delight, he saw the one person he'd wanted to see for the past two years: Edward. He gasped and started running, running towards his beloved, but what he saw next made him stop on his tracks: Rose was with him! _What is she doing in here? _

Suddenly, a black silhouette appeared next to Edward. It did nothing but stand there, but then, something crazy happened: Another Edward appeared, and to make it weirder, he started kissing the silhouette!

Alphonse was utterly confused at this point, so he tried to get Edward's attention. He called his name a few times, but Edward didn't seem to notice any of his desperate cries. Soon, everything around him started to disappear, including Edward, Rose, and whatever the hell that black thing was.

Alphonse tried one more time before he was sucked back into the real world:

"BROTHER! I LOVE YOU, EDWARD!" 

**A/N: Woaaaaaaaaaaaah I actually didn't plan for any of this to happen. It just kinda... happened. XD Anyway, if anyone is confused, don't worry. Everything will be explained soon ;)**

Until next time,  
~MorDuTheBronyBear 


	6. Equivalent Exchange Strikes Again

"Daniel, we need to go. Now."

Daniel was sitting up in his bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table; Alphonse had woken him up at 2:30 in the morning, and Daniel was pissed.

"What the hell, Alphonse? What's so important that you had to wake me up at this hour to tell me?"

Once his vision cleared a little, his anger faded as he saw his friend's nervousness; he was shaking violently, and his eyes were wide, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Al, what's wrong, man? Did you have a nightmare?"

Al shook his head quickly.

"No, it was much worse."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The portal was opened? But how? And why would your brother do something like that? Didn't he learn his lesson already?"

At that last comment, Alphonse grabbed the collar of Daniel's shirt forcefully, a slight growl escaping from his throat. Daniel gasped at how strong he was; he had always seemed a bit on the weak side.

"Don't say a word against my brother."  
"I-I'm sorry, Al! I didn't mean it!"

Alphonse just grunted and released Daniel. "There's no way he would do it on purpose, so it must've been an accident. But there's one thing I don't understand. I mean, out of the many things I don't understand: A girl that brother and I met on our travels was with him. She doesn't even believe in alchemy, so it makes even less sense!"

Daniel frowned. "What does all this mean?"

Alphonse closed his eyes for a brief second and sighed heavily.

"I don't know, but I think it would be a good idea to pay Rose a visit."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Noah! Wake up!"

Edward shook Noah hard, but she never moved. The other gypsies heard the shouting and came to investigate. When they saw Noah and Edward, they gasped, and a couple of them fainted.

"You! Blond boy! What did you do to my granddaughter?!"

Edward looked up from Noah's lifeless body and saw the elderly gypsy woman striding towards him, a mixture of rage and grief on her face. Edward quickly backed up until his back was against the wall of the tent. "I didn't do anything! Your damned fortune telling shit killed her!"  
"But how?!"

Edward's scowl turned into a mournful look, his head falling forward, golden bangs covering his sunny eyes that were now filled with storm clouds.

"I have a theory, but it may or may not be correct." 

~~~~~~~~~~

To the tall blond's delight, all of his beautiful rockets shot into the air, making everyone around "ooh" and "aah".

Alfons was a humble man, but his rockets were one thing that he took immense pride in. He never bragged, though. No, Alfons Heiderich kept his pride to himself.

His grin got wider when a young child ran up to him, pulling on his pant leg.

"Your wockets are amazing, Mr. Heidewich!"

He chuckled at the child, and said "Thank you."

He expected the child to leave, but instead, she continued, "One day, I'm going to space! And I'll get there in one of your wockets!"  
"And I'll do everything in my power to help you get there."

He blushed as he realized what he just said; it was the same thing he had told Edward in the car earlier. As the child giggled and ran off, Alfons couldn't help but go back to that memory. The way Edward acted, the way he pressed himself into Alfons, letting himself be held... Alfons had enjoyed comforting Edward so much, he wished it had lasted longer. But for that to happen, two things would have to happen: One, he would have to break up with his brother, and two, he would have to be depressed about something. Alfons personally didn't want either of those to happen. He hated seeing Edward sad.

As if he knew what Alphonse was thinking about and what he wanted, Edward appeared out of nowhere, a blond streak, running faster than he had ever seen anybody run. Then, to make it weirder, he slammed into Alfons, wrapping him in a disheveled hug. Al's heart jumped into his throat at the sudden touch. _W-what's he doing...?_

"Alfons, we have to get out of here. Now!"

Alfons looked down at the shivering blond in his arms. There was obviously something bothering the other man.

"Ed, what hap-"  
"Just forget it for now. I'll explain when we get home. Just get your rockets and let's go!"

Alfons decided not to argue and gently removed Edward from his arms. "I'll be done in a second," he said softly.

~~~~~~~~~~

Back in their flat, Edward and Alfons sat in the living room, Edward in one armchair, and Al in the other one across the room. Edward had calmed down a little, but he was obviously still a little shaken.

"Hey, Ed?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Why did you hug me back there?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Edward thought about that for a moment. Why had he? It's not like he liked Alfons or anything... What could make him run to the tall, blue-eyed, blond-haired man for comfort? Finally, he came to a conclusion.

"Because you remind me of my little brother. You both have short, blond hair, you're both incredibly hot..."  
"...what?"  
"Shit! Um, nothing!"  
"I heard that, Edward."

Edward's face turned the color of the red cloaks he used to wear, and he started sweating.

"It's okay, Edward. I'm fine with whatever you think of me. But you belong with your brother, not me. So if that's what you were thinking, you may as well forget it."

Edward's blush faded and his fists clenched.

"You're right, Heiderich. What the hell am I thinking? Alphonse is waiting for me. I love him, and he loves me!"

Alfons smiled a sad smile, but Edward didn't see it.

"Now, Edward, can you tell me what happened at the fair?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hmmm... I always knew those gypsies were strange people."

Alfons sighed and moved his bangs out of his eyes.

"So, if I heard you correctly, those gypsies have been opening the portal all this time? But how does one actually open this 'portal'?"

Edward sat up straighter and cleared his throat.

"Remember what I told you about alchemy the other day, about equivalent exchange? Well, that's how you open it. Many alchemists have paid the price trying to bring back the dead, trying to create a perfect human, and trying to find the secrets to being immortal. But without equivalent exchange, nothing in alchemy is possible. This is also true for opening the portal of Truth.

"As you know, my brother and I opened the portal without considering what the price would be. That was foolish of us... But, I should get back on topic. Anyway, to gain information such as information about a person's future, immortality, whatever it is, a big sacrifice must be made, a sacrifice equal to the value of the information you're trying to obtain.

"You see, Alfons, Truth doesn't like to reveal secrets, putting it lightly. He always expects something in return. What I lost, and what Noah lost, and my brother too, was a part of my soul."

A/N: Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun! So, there you have it. Ed's theory is complicated, but I think it makes sense.

And not to appear whiny or anything, but I would love some feedback, which means reviews.

Thank you :)

Until next time,  
~MorDuTheBronyBear 


	7. Feelings

"Two tickets for the 10:00 AM for Liore, please."

Once the train tickets were purchased, Alphonse and Daniel sat on a nearby bench and waited. He pulled his brother's pocket watch out and checked the time: 9:45. Alphonse closed the watch and held it in his hand tightly, letting his mind go into a fantasy that the watch was Edward's metal hand in his.

Edward had entrusted Alphonse with his state alchemist's watch as a reminder of Ed's love for him and because Ed often lost it when they traveled.

A train whistled nearby, approaching the station.

"Looks like our train is here. Let's go, Dan."

The boys picked up their suitcases and climbed aboard once the train pulled into the station. They handed their tickets to the ticket taker and took a seat in one of the compartments.

Within minutes, Alphonse was out cold, head leaning forward slightly, his bangs covering his closed eyes, soft snores escaping his throat.

Somewhere along the way, the train hit a rather large bump, jerking Alphonse awake. As he was shifting back into consciousness, he felt something warm in his lap.

"What...? Daniel?"

Daniel was fast asleep with his head resting in Al's lap. Al blushed madly, wondering why Daniel had chosen his lap for a pillow. As awkward as it was, he didn't have the heart to move the raven head and risking waking him.

He tried to go back to sleep, but he was too distracted by the admittedly cute boy's head resting over a certain area of his body...

Alphonse blushed harder. _What? I don't think he's cute! He's just my friend!_

Suddenly, Daniel's head rose, and he opened his eyes slowly.

"Are we almost there, Al?" he asked sleepily.

Then his eyes grew wide as he realized where his head had been resting.

"Oh! Uh, hmmm... I don't really know how that happened-"  
"It's fine, Daniel! Really! Don't worry about it."

The black haired boy wiped his bangs out of the way. "Thanks, man. I fell asleep, and I guess I got a little too cuddly on accident." He gave Al a small smile, blushing a little, and Al returned the smile.

"And to answer your question, nope, we have a long way to go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alfons Heiderich clung to the blond in his arms, overcome with a sudden urge to protect him.

"Your soul?! That's not good, Edward! What if you had died like the gypsy girl did? What would your brother do without you?" _What would _I_ do without you...?_

Edward pulled out of the other man's arms, still a bit surprised at how quickly Alfons had ran from one side of the room to the other and wrapped him in an almost desperate hug. "Relax, Heiderich! I'm fine! It hasn't done any damage yet."

Alfons's wide eyes returned to normal, and his erratic breathing calmed down to a regular pace.

"I'm sorry. I was just worried for a second. I'm not used to all this 'alchemy' stuff. It's all still quite strange to me."

Ed's expression softened a little. He pat Alfons on the back gently.

"It's ok. But what I need to do now is research if there's a way to get my brother through the gate using the crystal ball."  
"You mean you're going to open it again? Just be careful, Edward. This sounds like some dangerous business."

Edward smirked. "Hey, I was the youngest state alchemist in history back in my world. I think I can handle it."

Alfons didn't know what a state alchemist was, but it sounded important. Besides, this was Edward Elric! If all the stories he had told Alfons were true, this should be nothing compared to what he and his brother had endured in the past!

But still, Alfons's concern never fully went away.

~~~~~~~~~~~

_What is he trying to pull with all these hugs? He's the one who told me to forget the possibility of us being together! _

Up in his room, Edward sat at his desk, slamming his fist into it at his own thoughts.

_I don't want to be with him! I have Al waiting for me! I can't let him down!_

He let his head slump to the desk, letting out a distressed sigh and blowing his bangs away from his face.

"If you were here, Al, I wouldn't be having these crazy thoughts."

_Or would I...?_

~~~~~~~~~~~

"What was I thinking? I need to learn to control myself. He doesn't need to know that I love him!"

Alfons was still in the living room, laying on his stomach on the couch, face pressed into the cushions so that his voice was muffled.

A tear slid down his cheek. "Not that it would matter if he did find out. He loves someone else."

For the first time in a long time, Alfons was truly heartbroken. Some small part inside him had hoped that Edward would just give up trying to get home and stay with him, and maybe they could be more than friends. _Stupid, idiot... Why the hell would he stop looking for his brother? They love each other! I was foolish to even think he would._

He felt like punching himself for letting himself fall for Edward. It had started as nothing more than an innocent friendship, but then, without Alfons really noticing (until today), it had developed into something much more.

Speaking of that day, Alfons looked at the clock on the wall; it was 1:30 in the morning! He hadn't even realized he had been there for 4 hours. They had had a talk about the fair, and then Edward had gone to bed, leaving Alfons alone to his thoughts. Apparently, he had been thinking for a while.

He got up and stretched and went to his own bedroom for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Liore looked a lot better since the military started rebuilding after the rebellion, Alphonse thought as they walked through the busy streets. He wished he could stop and visit with Armstrong and the other officers supervising the restoration efforts, but they were on a mission.

They stopped in front of the large Temple of Leto.

"This is it, Daniel. This is where she'll be."

**A/N: Yay chapter 7! And thank you to any Tumblr users that are reading this!**

As you can probably guess, this was really just a filler chapter with fluffiness.

**And I don't know if anyone realized this, but it's been the same day in Germany for 7 chapters XD**

Until next time,  
~MorDuTheBronyBear 


	8. The Library

Edward sat in his room, reading over some gypsy folklore books that Alfons picked up for him at the bookstore a few days before. There was plenty of information on fortune telling, but nothing about opening the portal.

"Dammit... How is it possible?!"

He slammed the book shut and stomped downstairs get Alfons; he decided to go to the local library to find any other information he could about how it worked and what he would have to sacrifice to get his brother through the gate. He figured the toll must be pretty high to bring a whole human through, but he would do whatever it took to get his baby brother to him.

"Come on, Alfons! Let's go to the library!"

Alfons smirked at his roommate's eagerness. _He's sure devoted to the cause_, he thought affectionately. He grabbed his coat and threw it on and jogged after Edward, who had already started walking without him.

They arrived at the large library after a short 5 minute walk/jog. It was a beautiful place, with vaulted ceilings and architecture dating back to the 1700s, according to Alfons.

"Alright. I'm going to find the section that might have what I need. You can look wherever you want. I'll meet you at the front door in about an hour. If I haven't found any books by then, we'll go home. Sound good?"

Alfons nodded. "I wish you the best of luck, Edward."

With that, they went their separate ways, Alfons going towards the back and Edward finding someone to help point him in the right direction.

A very bookwormy woman (_Sheshka's counterpart...?_) directed him to the left, where the Other Cultures and Countries section was located. He found the section quickly and decided to start with "F" for fortune telling. He tried a few books, but they only held information that he already knew. He decided he was wasting his time starting pulling books out that were about gypsy culture specifically. He was getting more and more frustrated with each book he skimmed through, nothing to do with the portal and Truth showing up anywhere. Finally, he was pissed off enough to toss all the books on the table aside and let out a slight growl, which, had he not been in a library, would've been a very loud series of curses.

He pulled at his hair until it became painful, as if the pain would help him think of something else to research. Then, it hit him: Alfons had once said that alchemy was considered similar to science fiction in this world, something that existed, yet didn't, something that people read about for entertainment.

"That's it! The Science Fiction section!"

The Sheska look-alike shushed him, and he whispered, "Sorry!"

He got up and replaced the book and walked as fast as he could to the Science Fiction section, which was across the library, all the way on the other side. He immediately went to the "A's", desperately looking for alchemy; then, he found one.

"Hmmm... 'Alchemy: A Complete Reference Guide'. This should tell me something, since gypsies are obviously connected to alchemy in some way."

He sat down and flipped to the table of contents. He saw that the chapter entitled "Human Transmutation and the Portal of Truth" was on page 540, a sub chapter under "Forbidden Laws of Alchemy".

He read for a few minutes until something caught his eye. This time, he couldn't retain his cursing.

"Holy shit... I think I found it!"

He got up and ran to the back of the library, book in hand, to tell Alfons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whenever Alfons came to the library, he usually came to read about rockets and engineering and outer space, but today was different. He had more pressing matters on his mind, namely his strong attraction for his blond, very attractive, not single roommate. He decided to do a little research into personal relationships, since he preferred to rely more on logic than feelings. And maybe, if he was lucky, he could find something about how to ignore his feelings, because it was very hard to hide them at times.

He found the section entitled Family and Romantic Relationships and sat down to collect his thoughts. He honestly didn't know where to start.

_I guess I should just pick a book about crushes and being in love and start from there..._

He got up and pulled one off the shelf that was titled "Dealing with One-Sided Feelings". He read the back cover and decided to give it a try.

He had just started to read a section about how to push your feelings aside when he heard footsteps approaching. He knew that sound well; the sound of one regular leg and the sound of an artificial one contrasting as they hit the floor.

"Alfons, you'll never guess what I found!"

Alfons blushed madly before Edward even got there and slammed the book shut. He was still blushing as he shoved it under the table just before Edward slammed his own book on the table and pointed to a section.

"I think this is it! This could be the answer to all of this!"

Alfons grinned at the mention of possibly finding the answer, even though he was hurt yet again on the inside. _I'm being selfish._ He quickly tossed the thought away and started reading the section that Edward's prosthetic finger was frantically pointing to:

_"The group of people indigenous to the eastern country of India, the gypsies, have made amazing strides in alchemy in regards to the portal of Truth and ways to open it without an immediately fatal or internally/external physically damaging effect, caused by the law of Equivalent Exchange (see page 25,__ Alchemy's Basic Laws__, "Equivalent Exchange")._

"But even though no effects are noticeable, that does not mean they do not occurr. But before we explore the toll for opening the portal, consider the reason for opening the portal, which is, more commonly, to tell fortunes. By we humans being greedy and wanting to see what the future holds, the iconic crystal ball is the main portal, activated by the gypsy's connection to the spirit world. Once the connection between the spirit world, the gypsy, and the 'customer' is made, the portal is opened, the great price being a piece of the gypsy's, customer's, and people very closely related and/ or connected to the customer's soul is taken from them, almost never resulting in an immediate fatality, unless the customer and/or the people closely related have a terminal illness. Gypsy deaths, however, are very common, due to fortune talking being a very popular tourist attraction. Repeating such an action often will eventually take the whole soul, essentially killing the victim. For a customer and their close connections, however, who only open the portal once or twice, this considerably lowers their average lifespan, with each successful opening taking at least 10 years away. For this reason, opening this portal is very strongly advised against." 

Ed then told Al to turn to page 620, to a section entitled "Equivalent Exchange in regards to the Portal of truth". He saw Ed's face turn grave suddenly, and he soon found out why:

_"By now, you know that Equivalent Exchange is the basis of all alchemy, which is based off the Law of Conservation of Mass in our terms. But when it comes to opening the portal that holds the world's knowledge, the price is quite large, depending on what you are trying to obtain, of course._

"It has been rumored that there is another world other than this, where these laws and sciences of alchemy exist and are a part of every day life. For one to get to this other world, the portal must be opened, and a great price paid, for you are trying to transport your body and mind from one world to another; as such, the same applies for one wishing to bring someone from that world to this world. To determine the exact price to be paid for transporting a human to this world, two key factors must be taken into account: the physical size and mass of the person (or people, if this is the case; if so, the price will be all the greater) and the value of the person you are trying to to transport; that is, the amount of love and/or friendship you have for this person. If the love is great, Truth will without a doubt demand a greater price.

"The exact item sacrificed is almost never the same, but rest assured, that if a person wishes to transport a person to this world, a price no less than death shall be paid, for this is the law of Equivalent Exchange, and there is no way to avoid it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rose sat in one of the pews in the recently rebuilt temple, just like the day the brothers first met her.

Alphonse and Daniel approached the pews slowly, admiring the architecture; Atheists or not, they couldn't help but think it was a beautiful building.

"Hey, Rose! It's me, Alphonse!"

She looked behind her, and when she saw Al, a large grin formed in her face. "I've missed you, Al!"

Alphonse grinned and ran to give her a large hug. When they parted, Rose realized that Edward wasn't with him.

"You still haven't found a way to return your brother yet?"  
"No, unfortunately. But we're trying to find a way. Anyway, we came to ask you something."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alphonse, I'm terribly sorry, but I don't know what you are talking about."  
"But, if it wasn't you, then who could it have been?"  
"I don't know, Alphonse. But I wish you the best of luck on your travels. I hope you can return my Edward. I miss him greatly..."

Al didn't have the heart to tell her that Edward didn't feel that way about her. 

**A/N: I honestly didn't know that Rose loved Edward until reading the FMA wiki about the 2003 anime. To be honest, I never watched that anime. I watched FMAB and read the manga, but never got past episode 5 of the 2003. But no matter. Now that I know this, I can use her for a future chapter...**

Until next time,  
~MorDuTheBronyBear  



	9. Feelings no longer one-sided

Alfons's hands shook as he read the final paragraph of the section that Edward had discovered.

"... a price no less than death shall be paid, for this is the law of Equivalent Exchange, and there is no way to avoid it."

A tear rolled down his cheek as he thought of what that meant.

"Edward... Y-you'll d-die?"

Edward took a seat next to Al and and sighed.

"Well, maybe not. I don't want to sacrifice anyone else, but I don't want to die, either. I don't know that to do, Heiderich."

All of his previous desires to forget his feelings forgotten, he started to cry softly, leaning his head on Edward's shoulder. Edward lay his head on Al's, comforting the broken man.

Alfons decided he couldn't hold back any longer. He was going to say it.

Edward felt his heart break in half as the other man cried on his shoulder. Something sparked inside Edward, something he hadn't felt before. He had felt a similar feeling when his brother returned his feelings of love that night many years ago, but this was something different. It was stronger; he knew what it was. He had been trying to hold back for his little brother, but he couldn't anymore. If he was really going to go home soon, he needed to say it now, before he left forever.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you, Alfons."

They gasped and removed their heads quickly, shocked at the phrase that escaped their mouths in unison.

They blushed madly, and without warning or care for anyone around that could see them, their lips met in a passionate kiss. Edward moaned a little and reached up to stroke 's hair; Al groaned at the touch he had been longing for for so long, and he brushed his tongue across Ed's lips, asking for permission to enter. Edward opened his mouth, and Al's tongue eagerly entered and soon started wresting with Ed's.

After a few minutes of this, the two blonds parted, both flushed and panting. Alfons was the first to speak.

"I think we should go home and discuss this further."

Ed nodded silently, trying to catch his breath. He picked up the alchemy book with shaking hands and they walked to the checkout counter at the front and checked the book out.

Once they were home, they resumed their kissing, though it wasn't as frantic or rough as the last time. They were still standing, so they traveled as one to the nearby couch and sat down, never breaking the kiss. It was soft and sweet, full of the love that they had for each other. This time, Al was the one to stroke the other's hair, reaching behind Edward to undo his ponytail. The beautiful golden locks flowed around his shoulders, and Al ran his fingers through it, Edward smiling faintly as he kissed the blue-eyed engineer's mouth.

It was soon broken though, and they smiled at each other warmly, Edward's flesh hand moving to rest on top of Al's, squeezing it gently.

"Alfons, I've always had a feeling you liked me; I just didn't know you loved me." He stroked the other man's cheek affectionately. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Alfons put his hand up to Edward's, where it rested on his cheek, to make sure Ed didn't move it.

"I knew you loved your brother, so I thought you would never return my feelings. But I guess I was wrong."

"I admit, I tried to ignore my feelings because I thought I belonged with my brother, not you. But today... I just couldn't fight it anymore. There's something about you, Alfons, that's just so amazing. Maybe it's your beautiful eyes, or your-" he paused to place snake his fake hand under Al's shirt, so it rested in Al's chest. "-absolutely _amazing_ body."

Alfons closed his eyes and shivered as Edward rubbed his chest, making slow circles. Then he pulled his hand out and their lips collided again, intense and full of sparks. When they parted, Ed pushed Al down onto the couch, straddling his hips and stroking his hair softly.

"Show me how much you love me, Alfons Heiderich."

Alphonse lay on his bed on his stomach in the hotel room he and Daniel were sharing, face buried in his pillow, seeming to hate the world. Daniel hated seeing him like this.

Alphonse was the kind of person that didn't show pain easily, but that day, his heart, mind, and soul had reached their breaking point. They had traveled all the way to Liore to speak to Rose, whom Al had seen with Ed in the gate. After questioning her about it, she insisted she knew nothing. Al knew she wouldn't lie to him; she really didn't know anything. But after traveling all that way for nothing, Al was confused. He had no other ideas about where to look.

As much as he hated feeling sorry for himself, he couldn't help it. He didn't know if he would ever see his brother again, and to make matters worse, he felt bad inside; bad because he had developed a crush on Daniel. He felt horrible for betraying his brother, but it was something that he couldn't help.

"Dammit... What would my brother think?" he whispered into the pillow.

Daniel, who was sitting at the desk in the large bedroom, overheard him, and said, "What was that, Alphonse? Are you okay?"

When his friend didn't respond, he got up and walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, rubbing his back hesitantly at first, but when Al didn't resist, he continued.

"Al, I don't like seeing you upset. Can you look at me, man?"

Al lifted his head off the pillow slowly; Daniel could see where the brunette had been crying. He looked deeply into his olive colored eyes and saw something other than just depression over a failed lead.

"Alphonse, you're not upset about the Rose thing, are you?"

Al lifted the rest of his body up and got into a cross legged position on the bed, nodding his head no.

"No. It's a bit deeper than that."

Daniel wiped a stray tear away and moved his bangs out of his face. He had a good idea about why Al was acting this way, but he was too afraid to ask him for fear of rejection.

Before Daniel could question Al again, Al's soft lips pressed against his own, only lingering for a second or two. Daniel's eyes widened; _This is what's bothering him? I never would've guessed..._

"Alphonse, I didn't know. I never thought you would feel the same about me."

"You mean, yo-" Daniel cut him off with a kiss. "Yes, Alphonse. I've grown pretty attracted to you."

As happy as this made Alphonse, he knew he had to tell Daniel why a relationship couldn't work.

"Daniel, I love my brother. And not just in a brotherly way. That's why I've missed him so much. Please understand."

Daniel's smile evaporated.

"So, you don't want to be with me?"

"I do, Daniel, really! But brother loves me. I could never betray him."

Daniel wrapped Alphonse in a tender hug. "You're a noble man, Alphonse. You stand by your brother no matter what. And that's one of the things I love about you. But if you ever change your mind..."

"Of course. If I do, I'll be sure to tell you."

They released the hug, and Daniel yawned. "Gee, it's getting late. We better get to bed." He climbed off of Al's bed and walked across the room to his own. He was in bed and about to turn out the lights when Alphonse's soft voice called from the other bed.

"Will you sleep in my bed with me tonight, Daniel?"

"Of course I will, Alphonse."

He climbed out of bed and slipped in next to Alphonse, his long golden-brown hair tickling Daniel's nose since it was right in his face, Al's back to him. He shut his eyes, but then he felt the bed shift. When he opened them again, he saw that Al was now facing him, smiling at him. Daniel interlocked Al's fingers with his own.

"Goodnight Alphonse."

"Goodnight Daniel."

They fell asleep like that, keeping warm by each other's body heat.

A/N: While I was writing the first half of this chapter, I was listening to "E.T" by Katy Perry, and for the second half, I listened to "Hurricane" by 30 Seconds to Mars. Those songs inspired the differences between the brothers' reaction to their growing romantic feelings towards their friends. Music always inspires me, no matter what I'm doing.

Anyway, in order to keep this story rated T, a lemon between Alfons and Edward was removed. But, you can read it here: s/10075208/1/Show-Me-How-Much-You-Love-Me-Alfons-Heiderich

**It's not essential to the plot, so if you're uncomfortable with reading things like that, it's fine; you won't be missing anything important.**

**Until next time,**

**~ MorDuTheBronyBear**


	10. The Last Fortune Telling

Edward and Alfons lay on the couch together, arms wrapped around each other as they slept.

Sunshine flowed through a gap in the closed curtains, waking Edward in the process. He opened his eyes and rubbed them, trying to get the blurriness out of them. Then it hit him: the reminder of what they had done last night. _I wonder...? _Sure enough, Edward noticed that they were both still completely naked. Alfons still lay on top of him, snoring softly; it was then that Edward noticed that he and Al were still "connected" by a certain part of their bodies. He smiled a little as he remembered more of yesterday. They had finally confessed their love to each other, and it had made him so happy that his heart still fluttered at the memory. But the current situation was making Ed a little uncomfortable, so he lightly tapped Alfons on the head.

"Hey, wake up, sweetheart."

At these affectionate words, Alfons cracked his eyes slightly to see his love smiling at him.

"Good morning, my golden sunshine. How did you sl-" he stopped when he realized what Edward had woken him up for.

"Oh, heh heh, just a sec."

After fixing the problem, Ed shivering a little at the sensation, Al got off of Ed and stood up so Ed could move again. Ed soon joined him in standing and stretched, popping his back and cracking his fingers. After a quick kiss on the cheek, Al said, "I'm gonna go take a shower. See you later."

As Ed waited for Al to get out if the shower, his mind went back to the whole reason they had admitted their feelings: the alchemy book and its solution to getting Alphonse to him. The price for transporting a human to or from that world was a human sacrifice; Edward hated himself for being selfish, but he really didn't want to die, especially since he had just gotten romantically involved with a wonderful man, whom he loved more than almost anything, his brother, of course, being the person that he loved more than anything.

He sighed, thinking of another way. _Maybe of I use the gypsies again, the one operated the ball would die like Noah? _He shook his head. There was no way he would sacrifice someone else just so he could be happy. He decided to talk to Alfons; maybe his boyfriend could give him some advice. He walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Hey Al, can I come in?"  
"Sure, Ed," came his voice from the other side of the door.

Ed entered the steamy room a took a seat on the closed toilet lid.

"So, Ed, how can I help you?" He poked his head through the shower curtain and smirked. "Care to join me?"

"Tempting, but not right now. I need some advice. It's about this human sacrifice thing. I don't know what to, Al. I don't want to die, but I'm not going to let someone sacrifice themselves for me. That's not how my brother would've wanted it."

Al was silent for a moment before replying, "I'll sacrifice myself for you, Edward. I would be glad to. I love you more than I love my rockets, and that's saying a lot."

"Alfons, no! I'm not going to let you do that! You deserve to live and to go into space like you've always dreamed, not die for a stupid kid that committed a unforgivable sin."

The water stopped, and Alfons stepped out, grabbing a towel from the nearby towel bar and wrapping it around his waist. Then he turned to Edward and put his hands on his hips.

"Now listen to me, Edward Elric. I promised you the other day at the fair that I would do anything in my power to help you get back to your brother, and I do not break promises. I know you don't want me to to do this, but I love you and I want you to be home with your brother. He needs you."

Edward rose from where he sat on the toilet lid and faced him, a lone tear falling down his cheek.

"If you really loved me, you would listen to what I'm telling you! I need you, Alfons! I can't lose you, not after I've already lost so much!"

Al frowned and took him in his arms; they sank to the floor of the bathroom, Alfons holding the other man close. He had expected Edward to react badly at the mention of sacrificing himself, but he didn't expect him to fall apart like this. He stroked Edward's soft, flowing hair.

"Edward, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I was just trying to make you and your brother happy."

Ed sniffed and looked up at Al. "Oh, Al... I'm happy with you, and I always will be. I want to be with my brother, but sacrificing yourself isn't the answer to this."

The two blonds stood up, and Edward climes into the still-warm shower, turning the water on. Al turned to leave, but Edward stopped him.

"I think I'll join you now, Alfons."

Al gave him a warm smile and dropped his towel, climbing in beside his lover. The two stood under the warm water, just holding each other, exchanging kisses occasionally.

When they got out, Alfons kissed him one more time before they went to their separate bedrooms and said, "Don't cry anymore, Edward. I hate seeing my sunshine covered with clouds."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Once the two were dressed and had eaten breakfast, Alfons suggested they go back to the fair to see the gypsies. Edward agreed, mostly because he needed to tell them to never tell fortunes again, and to pass the word along to the other gypsies they might meet once they moved on.

They bought visitor's passes this time, since Al's booth was gone. As they approached the navy blue tent, a realization hit Ed in the face like a bolt of lightning: Alfons was the one her had made out with in the portal when it was opened that day! He didn't know how he hadn't thought of that earlier. _I guess fortune telling isn't complete bullshit after all..._

The old gypsy who had accused him of killing Noah greeted them, although she didn't seem too pleased to see Edward again.

"How can I help you, boys?"

Edward replied, "Well, we have something important to tell you, and we need you tell all of your friends and family about it so this mistake isn't made ever again."

"Well, what is it?"

"With the utmost respect to your culture and your people, miss, the fortune telling that you and the other gypsies do is very dangerous, and it can easily kill any of you at any time, as well as any customers you might have. Which is why, after you tell my fortune, whether I come back alive or not, you need to completely forget about all of this. Trying to see the future is crossing into God's domain, and you will always be punished for it."

The old woman's eyes widened.

"I had no idea..."

Edward shushed her. "It's okay, miss. No one knew about this, as far as I know. Now, if you'll tell me my fortune one more time, I'll be very grateful."

"Edward, please be careful. Do whatever you have to do. I'll miss-" He was cut off by Ed's lips crushing into his in a short but intense kiss.

"Don't worry, Al. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."

Al was puzzled at what his boyfriend meant, but he just shrugged it off and watched as the gypsy woman held hands with Edward, the two of them closing their eyes as small black hand connected with their faces, and a scary-looking eye appeared in the crystal ball between him. All of a sudden, there was a bright white flash, and Al couldn't see a thing. Then, a pain worse than anything he had ever felt consumed him, feeling as though he was being ripped in half. He screamed out of the sheer agony, and tears welled in his eyes.

Then it was gone, almost as soon as it had come, and there was Edward and the elderly woman next to him.

His boyfriend gave him a small smile and said, "Welcome to the gate, Alfons."

**A/N: The end is approaching!**

Until next time,  
~MorDuTheBronyBear 


	11. Together, As We're Meant To Be

"Edward, how am I with you?"

Alfons stood in the large white expanse with Edward and the gypsy, a misty white figure shaped like a human but without a face appearing in front of them.

"Remember what the book said? Anyone that shares a close bond with me is transported here to have part of their souls sacrificed, remember? I'm sorry you had to come here, but since you're my boyfriend, there really wasn't a way to avoid it."

"Boyfriend?! What's going on, brother?!"

Both boys were alerted to the sound of Alphonse Elric's shocked voice. He and a boy with black hair stood about 10 yards away from the couple.

"Alphonse! It worked!"

The brothers ran to hug each other, but a massive white hand swiped in between them.

"Ah ah ah, Elric brothers! You haven't gotten each other back yet! I still need my soul for payment!"

The brothers retreated back to their partners, Alphonse still looking confused.

"What's going on, brother? And what do you mean 'boyfriend'?"

Edward sighed heavily, a bit reluctant to tell his former lover about his current one.

"Al, this is Alfons Heiderich. I've been living with him in his world, and over the 2 years we've known each other, our friendship has grown into something more. I'm sorry, little brother."

Alphonse was silent for a moment before he started laughing.

"Are you kidding me? Me and Daniel could've been together all this time and it would've been fine?"

Edward said, "Daniel? Is he that black-haired kid with you? And do you like each other or something?"

"Yeah, brother. We're kinda in love, but I told him we couldn't be together because I was with you."

"I'm sorry you had to hold back because of me, Al, but you don't have to anymore."

Meanwhile, Daniel was wide-eyed. "So you're Edward Elric? Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, Daniel. Anyway, Alphonse, on my side, Heiderich and I found a way to access the portal. The reason you're here is because we're family, and the reason Alfons and Daniel got dragged into this too is because they love us. Anyone that means something to us or that we mean something to should be here."

"So _that's_ why I'm here! This is the truth place you guys got taken to when we were kids?"

"Fascinating... Scary, but fascinating."

Two new voices joined in, and the four men turned to see a gear head blonde and a religious brunette with pink highlights.

"Winry! Rose!"

"Edward! I've missed you so much!" Rose exclaimed, and Winry turned red with embarrassment.

"Um, that's all well and good, Rose, but I don't think Edward's missed you, if you get what I mean.

Edward and Alfons blushed darkly, realizing that they were holding hands.

"Winry, this is Alfons Heiderich, and yes, he's my boyfriend. Got a problem with that, gear head?!"

Winry threw one of her wrenches at him, and he went down with a thud.

"Brother!"

"Ed!"

Ed got up slowly, wiping blood from his head. "I'm fine, guys. So Winry, do you have a little secret crush on me or something?"

"No, idiot! You're like my brother, so you're special to me!"

"Ah. And Rose, I know why you're here. If I'm not mistaken, shortly before I got transported to Germany, you said you loved me."

Rose smiled a little and nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't return your feelings, Rose."

"It's okay, Edward."

"Enough already! Who's getting sacrificed?!"

Their reunion was interrupted by Truth, obviously getting impatient.

Alphonse cleared his throat. "Brother, I want to bring Daniel with me. I can't be without him. I love him, and he loves me."

"But Al, that means two human sacrifices, and I don't even know who's going to be the first one!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Edward saw Winry and Rose whispering to each other. Then, they nodded to each other and approached Truth.

"Take us, Truth."

The other four people in the large white room all said:

"NO! DONT DO IT!"

But they were ignored. "Very well! Thank you for your contribution, ladies! Congratulations, Edward, your brother and his partner can join you and yours!"

But Alphonse and Edward were still protesting.

"Winry, you don't have to do this! You too, Rose!"

The girls turned to the brothers and smiled sadly. Then Winry spoke her last words:

"It's our pleasure, you wonderful men. I know we'll meet again someday."

With that, Winry and Rose each grabbed one of Truth's hands, and then for Alphonse and Daniel, there was a feeling similar to the feeling you get while flying spreading through their bodies.

When their eyes opened, they were in the gypsy tent with Alfons and Edward staring down at them; when they had emerged from the crystal ball, they landed flat on their backs.

"Are you guys okay?"

Edward held out his hands, and they took one each, Edward pulling them to their feet.

Alphonse immediately tackled his big brother to the ground, kissing him on the cheek. Edward blushed and hugged his little brother.

"Yeah, brother. We're definitely okay."

With that, he got off of Edward and wrapped Daniel in a hug, kissing him deeply. Seeing them, Alfons and Edward did the same, while the elderly gypsy just stood there, not really knowing what to do.

Once they all broke apart, Alfons said,"Let's all go home. Together, as we're meant to be."

**A/N: Nope! The story isn't over yet! There's one more chapter to go, then I may or may not make a sequel where they've all been together for 5 years and they're old enough to go to a bar and do other things. If I make one, it'll be rated M for a reason.**

**Sorry to any Winry and Rose lovers' hearts I just broke, but I think it all worked out pretty well.**

**Until next time,**

**~MorDuTheBronyBear**


	12. Epilogue

"Daniel, let's go already! You're so slow in the morning..."

Daniel cracked his eyes at the sound of Alphonse's voice. It was a Saturday, and Alfons was going to send one of his more recent rockets into the sky; they were all hoping it would go higher than any of the ones he had made in the past.

He crawled out of their bed and stretched, yawning and moving his messy raven hair out of his eyes. It was getting longer; he needed to cut it soon, or it would end up looking like his boyfriend's.

He walked out of their room and into the bathroom in the hall to take a shower, smiling to himself as he heard Alphonse singing in the kitchen as he made breakfast. Edward and Alfons had already left for the launch site to prepare everything and the other couple was told to come as as soon as they were ready.

Alphonse sang as often as he could, and anywhere he could. He said it was because he was finally happy again, which Daniel definitely understood. He had his brother and body back as they should be, and he'd told Daniel many times how much he loved him and how glad he was that they were together. The songs he sang were never anything fancy, mainly just small songs he and Edward would sing when they were kids, the songs that held the happiest memories in their lyrics.

After Daniel took a shower, he joined Al for breakfast, which consisted of pancakes and eggs. Then, they brushed their teeth and left for the launch site, which was in the local park. When they arrived, there was already a huge crowd. Just about everyone in town knew about Alfons's rocket research, and they were all there to cheer him on.

Alfons was busy working on the rocket he had made recently, working out any last minute bugs, while Edward was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, Alfons, have you seen Brother anywhere?"

Alfons lifted his head from his work briefly to answer, "He said he was going to walk around for some fresh air. He actually seemed a little upset."

Alphonse frowned and said, "Oh, okay. Thanks Alfons. Daniel, do you mind staying here while I find him?"

"Not at all, Al. But you better hurry! Alfons looks like he's almost done prepping!"

With that, Alphonse gave him a small peck on the cheek and hurried off to find his brother.

It didn't take him long to find the blond man sitting on a bench by himself, head bent over so that his sun kissed bangs covered his eyes.

"Brother! Are you okay?"

Edward lifted his head at the sound of his little brother's voice, and Al could see that his eyes were clouded with... guilt? Grief? Both? He couldn't tell for sure.

He sat down next to his brother and noticed that there were dried tear stains on his cheeks.

"Edward, what's wrong? You're not usually someone who cries easily, so something must be really wrong."

Edward sat back against the bench and sighed, running his fingers through his long hair, which wasn't in its usual ponytail or braid.

"Al, I'm just feeling really guilty. Ever since I admitted my feelings to Heiderich, I've felt like I'm betraying you. You knew that you had feelings for Daniel, but you ignored them. You were loyal to me, and I basically cheated on you! I should've been stronger, but I wasn't."

Al felt tears welling in his eyes; he rubbed them and then he lay a gentle hand on his big brother's back and made slow, gentle circles on his back, sometimes going up to rub the base of his neck.

"Brother, it's okay. It really is. You shouldn't feel guilty about feeling something for someone. You can't control that."

"Maybe so, but I could've controlled us having sex! If I hadn't come on so strong, maybe you and I would still be together!"

Al gasped slightly and blushed; he didn't know his brother could be so... Well, the only correct term here was slutty.

"You've already slept together?"

"Yeah. The night before we got you and Daniel here, actually. "

Then he turned to Al and grabbed his face in his hands.

"Promise me, Al, that you forgive me for doing that. Because if I hadn't been so stupid..." He kissed Al's lips softly, not lingering for very long. "...we could have been together like you wanted." A couple of tears rolled down his pale cheeks, but Al didn't know what to say anymore.

"That's all you wanted while you were in the armor. You were looking forward to it, and so was I. You wanted to be with me, and I did too, but I had to go and let my fucking feelings get in the way! What kind of big brother am I to deny my little brother something when he's already lost so much?"

This time, Al was the one who kissed his brother, wanting more of his taste. Even thought he was with Daniel, he still wanted to know what Edward's lips were like, how he kissed, what made him happy. Like Ed said, that was all he wanted while in the armor; well, among the other obvious things, like food and sleep.

They remained like that for a couple of minutes, lips touching lightly, nothing too extreme; it was sweet and meant to comfort the distressed older man.

When they broke apart, Alphonse finally knew what to say.

"I promise."

Ed smiled a little and wrapped his little brother in a hug.

"Thanks, Al."

"Don't worry about anything, brother. I'll never love anyone more than I love you."

They broke apart and smiled at each other, Ed brushing Al's brunette bangs away from his eyes. Then Al stood up and grabbed Ed's hand.

"Let's go launch a rocket."

Ed nodded and they walked back to the launch site like that, hand in hand.

The launch of Alfons's rocket went just as expected, the rocket taking about five minutes to come down, better than any of Al's rockets had ever done before.

The two couples were currently in the kitchen of the home they shared, each of them with a large slice of chocolate cake on their plates. Edward was so proud of Alfons that he went down to the bakery and bought them a cake, something he didn't do very often because he didn't like to spend money on things like cake; he tended to spend his money on the essentials, and nothing more. But this was a very special day, and Edward was glad to do it for the man he loved.

Edward then stood up and held his glass of lemonade up to toast.

"To Alfons Heiderich, my love, my friend, and a hell of a rocket engineer."

Alfons smiled and blushed a little as the other men drank to him. But Edward still wasn't done talking.

"And, I have another announcement: We're going to America!"

The room erupted in various murmurs of excitement and curiosity. Alphonse was the first to question Edward's words.

"Brother, are you serious?"

Ed's grin got larger and he nodded.

"Yep! I booked us a condo on the beach in a state called California. It's supposed to have the most beautiful beaches in the country."

Alfons stood up and hugged Ed and kissed him on the cheek sweetly.

"That's amazing, Edward! But what's the occasion?"

"Well, I was going to tell you earlier, but I decided it was best to leave it for now. While we were launching your rocket today, there was an engineering professor from the University of California, Dr. Smith, I think. He saw your rocket and was so impressed that he talked to me and said that if you wanted to, we could go to California and share your research with them, and they'll share what they know with you. Together, you guys could actually send one into space! Hell, it might even be able to take a man into space!"

Alfons's mouth dropped open.

"Are... Are you s-serious?! I'm going to study with the famous engineering professor from California?! This is amazing! Do you have any idea how fantastic this is?! He's researched way more than I have and he knows a lot more too! I must've really impressed him for him to offer me a research opportunity..."

Ed smiled sweetly at him and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I always said you were amazing, Heiderich."

**A/N: Wooooooo! It's done! And expect a sequel at some point for those who want to read it!**


End file.
